Rallies will take place at capitol buildings across the country on Feb. 8 in support of the Second Amendment, and for those who can't make it to Tallahassee, there will be one held locally in Santa Rosa.
A Second Amendment support rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. Feb. 8 at the flagpole in front of the Santa Rosa County Offices.
“If we lose the Second Amendment it will erode our liberty and security,” said Sam Mullins, a Milton resident and organizer of the event.
The group of like-minded residents came together from several different organizations, such as the Santa Rosa Tea Party Patriots, to organize the rally. They are all standing behind the Second Amendment, which states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
The rally will consist of a prayer, the pledge, and a reading of the Preamble, the Second Amendment and founding father quotes.
Across the nation, states are looking to create tougher gun regulations. In January, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law the New York Safe Act, tightening the assault weapons ban, limiting the number of bullets allowed in magazines and creating mental health regulations. Mental health professionals will be required to report to health officials when there is reason to believe a patient could cause serious harm to themselves or others. These reports will be crosschecked against a gun restriction database. Lawmakers in several other states are reviewing some form of new gun regulations.
At a public hearing for the Connecticut legislature's task force on gun violence prevention and children's safety, residents from Newtown pushed for stricter gun-control laws, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School incident that left 26 children and educators dead.
Locally, on Jan. 24, Santa Rosa County Commissioners reaffirmed a resolution, originally passed on April 14, 1994, that stated the board’s commitment to the oath of office, the Constitution and the Second Amendment.
“Whereas, it is the duty of the members of the Board of County Commissioners to uphold the Constitution of the State of Florida and the Constitution of the United States, including the Second Amendment,” the resolution states.
The idea to hold the local rally came after Santa Rosa county Sheriff Wendell Hall was asked to speak at the Santa Rosa Tea Party Patriots’ Jan. 14 meeting.
Debbie Gunnoe, also an organizer for the rally, said Hall spoke about school security and the possibility of restriction on gun control.
“We decided that we needed to see what we could do as a citizen group,” Gunnoe said.
Mullins said he hopes this rally will show public officials that the community will support and hold them accountable for their oath to uphold the Constitution.
“We’re affirming as citizens our awareness of the Constitution and Second Amendment and rallying in support of that,” Mullins said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Locals rally in support of Second Amendment